First Magic
by Elburn
Summary: Prior to receiving one's Hogwarts letter, there will usually be accidental displays of magic, as a young witch or wizard won't necessarily know how to control it. Teddy Lupin is one such young wizard. Post-DH


**First Magic**

_by Fiona Conn_

Young Teddy Lupin was having what felt to him, like an endless day.

It wasn't that things were bad, he admitted to himself, it was more the funny look that crossed the adults' faces whenever they looked at him. That sort of pitying, sympathetic look, as if they might pat his head at any moment.

Ted had come to expect this whenever the family – which included the Potters and the Weasleys – came to Granny Tonks's house on weekends. Granny tried to gently move the topic away from that of his mum and dad, and away from anything that would earn him such glances, but it couldn't be helped. Ted didn't blame them, certainly, and he had grown up enjoying the stories of the adventures his parents had gotten into, but...

Having so many adults around also meant that his toys were temporarily stored away, in the cupboards. Granny Tonks had told him many times about keeping the house tidy for guests. However, it did make the family visits somewhat more boring.

Sitting on the arm of the couch, Teddy gingerly worried away at one of his teeth as the adults bantered away. His tooth had come loose not long ago, and he could tell it was hanging by only a few more threads of gum. It stung a little as he pushed at it with his tongue, testing the limits of its tolerance. If he could just get it loose enough to push out, he would be able to eat dinner tonight without the subsequent discomfort!

"Alright there, Ted?"

Ted looked up as his Uncle Harry gently addressed him. Ted nodded emphatically. Uncle Harry's gaze continued to rest on him, until he was interrupted by Granny Tonks passing him a cup of tea. Ted sighed. Uncle Harry was one of the very few – other than Mr. Longbottom – who treated him as Ted, and not as his parents' son, an orphan.

"Teddy?" Granny tilted her head at him. "If you come through to the kitchen, I think I might have a few things you can help with."

"Sure," Ted replied, and then hopped to his feet.

Granny's tasks, as it turned out, included folding dish cloths and sorting them into the correct drawers, and assisting her with drying some of the dishes she had been using for cooking. Not terribly taxing, and still fairly mundane, but enough to keep Ted occupied until dinner was ready half an hour later.

It was at this same dinner that Ted's tooth finally fell out – much to the dismay of Granny when it seemed to keep bleeding, even as attempts were made to stop it. Aunt Ginny had sat with him as Granny prepared a potion to ease the discomfort and stop the bleeding, Uncle Harry helping her as she bustled around in the kitchen. While the potion hadn't tasted very nice, he downed every last drop of the potion.

It had also meant a much softer dessert for Teddy than the apple pie that the adults had received. Instead, he had received a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which he savoured every spoonful of, even as it brought a mild numb yet stinging sensation to the gum his tooth had just fallen out of. Trying to avoid the pain, Ted began to eat his ice cream more quickly.

However, it wasn't long before that too had repercussions.

Ted cringed, making a face and squeezing his eyes shut as his forehead began to sting. Someone nearby noted this and giggled, informing everyone else that the poor dear had given himself an ice cream headache.

Breathing in deeply, Ted looked around, the ache beginning to clear. Dessert was continuing as if nothing had happened, though George and Ron were quietly guffawing into their napkins. Hermione smiled sympathetically. It was that look again. The one that everyone wore when Ted was around. Had he just morphed into something silly to indicate the discomfort?

Just then, there was a loud ping noise, and Hermione's glass shattered into pieces in front of her. She squeaked, shielding her face from flying glass. A shocked silence fell at the table.

"What was that?" Hermione questioned.

Granny was on her feet, passing Hermione a fresh glass and towelling away the liquid that had begun to sink into the table cloth, trying to pick up the pieces of shattered glass as she went.

"I'm sorry, dear," Granny said quietly, "are you alright?"

"Fine," Hermione nodded. She glanced at Harry, who shrugged, just as puzzled by what had happened. Ted stared at the spot where Hermione's glass had been. Had he been the one to do that? Something had arisen within him just seconds prior, he remembered... had his wish to stop people from staring at him brought that about?

As he continued to stare, there was a sound of rolling plates, and then a loud smashing. A shelf had come loose and plates fell from it. Ted looked up, and noticed the cupboard doors opening. Plates began to fly out, bobbing up and down as if in dance.

Soon, the adults were on their feet, trying to stop the plates before they could fall and break. With them occupied, Ted carefully slipped from his seat and dashed from the room, and out the front door, into the street, running as fast as his small legs could carry him.

***

It wasn't long before Ted realized he wouldn't be able to run very far. Not far from his neighbourhood, a junction lead out to a road which he knew to be dangerous because of the cars that regularly ran up and down it at high speeds, going to and from another road which had several lanes of traffic. However, at the very least, he had arrived at the park which he and Granny sometimes visited.

Ted hopped onto a swing, gently pushing himself off the ground and letting it arc back and forth. This would probably be, he thought, his last visit to the park for a while. Granny was sure to be angry at him for doing magic. He remembered how Molly had also been told off by her mum, Aunt Audrey, when they had come over last summer. Molly had somehow made her dollies attack Ted and the adults with magic. Uncle George and Aunt Angie had just laughed it off, but Uncle Percy had been somewhat flustered, and Aunt Audrey was upset. Ted remembered having bruises for a week after a particularly brutal dolly had karate chopped his shins. He winced at the memory.

It wasn't as if he had made the dishes break and dance on purpose. Ted pouted. He knew it had come from inside him, but he wasn't sure where, nor how.

At that moment, something bright caught Ted's eye. What looked like a white stag pranced from Uncle Harry's wand, which he then stuffed into his jacket pocket. He glanced around, then met Ted's eyes and smiled, walking into the park and sitting on the swing next to Ted.

"Everyone's out looking for you," Uncle Harry said gently. "They're worried about you."

Ted nodded. "I didn't mean to make the dishes break. It just kind of..."

"I know," Uncle Harry replied. "It was just an accident, that's all."

"Is Granny angry?"

Uncle Harry seemed to stop to think about this for a second. "I wouldn't say angry is a good word for it. She knows it was just an accident. But you shouldn't run away, Ted, okay?" This earned Ted a particularly piercing look, as if Uncle Harry was trying to read his mind. Ted fidgeted uncomfortably, a sort of squirmy feeling arising inside him like worms writhing inside him. Uncle Harry's face softened and he gently petted Ted's hair.

"Uncle Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry," Ted looked up at his Uncle's eyes. He nodded in response to Ted before opening his arms. Ted didn't even think before scrambling into Uncle Harry's arms for the offered hug, holding on tightly. Uncle Harry gently squeezed back, his arms warm and safe and steady.

"Promise me you won't run away again?"

Ted nodded. Running away hadn't been the best way to deal with the problem. Knowing Granny wasn't angry about the dishes put his mind at ease, but... he would still have to deal with the consequences of running away. "I promise," Ted affirmed.

Uncle Harry smiled and rubbed his shoulder. "Good lad." He checked his watch, then added, "home?"

"Home," Ted replied, taking his Uncle's offered hand as they began the walk back to Granny's.

**END**


End file.
